Zebre rename home to Stadio Lanfranchi

28 January 2015 17:22pm

By Jamie Holt

Zebre's renamed Stadio Lanfranchi

Zebre have renamed their stadium to Stadio Lanfranchi - commemorating the late Italian rugby legend born in Parma.

Lanfranchi is undoubtedly one of the greatest Italian rugby players of all time. His career in the Azzurri shirt spanned 15 years, second in the all-time rankings for duration and only bettered last year by Mauro Bergamasco.

Lanfranchi represented Italy between March 1949 and March 1964, earning 21 caps - including eight as captain - with his last one earned in his native Parma against France.

Born in 1925, he wore the shirt of Rugby Parma from 1946 to 1950, winning the Italian main league in the 1950.

Later that year Lanfranchi moved to France and he later helped FC Grenoble win their only league title in its history in 1954. The versatile forward scored the only try of the final against US Cognac in a 5-3 victory in front of 35,000 spectators in Toulouse.

The legendary Lanfranchi is still remembered by a statue placed outside the headquarters of the French club.

After his death in 2001, the old Viale Piacenza Stadium in Parma was dedicated to him, until 2008 when it was demolished to make way for EFSA , the headquarters of the European Food Safety Authority.

So now it's time to say goodbye to the previously-named Stadio XXV Aprile, with the newly-anointed Stadio Lanfranchi set to host its first GUINNESS PRO12 game against Glasgow Warriors on Sunday February 15.